


I Couldn’t Live On Memories

by Dauntless_Shadow



Series: Song-based fics [3]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Based on a Bonnie&Clyde song, I can’t tag, M/M, Spanish flu, Suicide, yeah I’m done tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24763078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dauntless_Shadow/pseuds/Dauntless_Shadow
Summary: -REWRITE-Original version of the story is the 2nd chapter of Only When You’re Left Behind.Albert is on his deathbed, and he recalls the two years that he and Finch loved each other. He lived on his memories of the slingshot-wielding brunette, until the Spanish flu finally brought them back together.
Relationships: Albert DaSilva/Finch (Newsies)
Series: Song-based fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781137
Comments: 7
Kudos: 11





	I Couldn’t Live On Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Possible trigger for people who have suicidal thoughts.

It was 1918. It had been 16 long, heartbroken years for Albert DaSilva, and another patient wanted to know the cause of the heartbreak. He couldn’t say no to Sasha. She was only 11, and only had about a day left to live. She deserved anything but death. So he told her the story of Albert and Finch.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
It was the winter of 1899, and Albert was so cold. He was passed out in an alley, covered in bruises the Delanceys had inflicted. Their reasoning was simple. They saw how he looked at Finch. And that was enough to warrant the beating. Albert lay there until Finch came.  
He appeared in the alley, took one look at Albert, and went to get Race. Race and Finch brought him back to lodging and laid him on his bed. Albert passed out as soon as they set him down.  
—————————————————————  
Finch had kissed him. Finch Cortes kissed Albert DaSilva in that same alley. And Albert kissed him back.  
—————————————————————  
The other newsies suspected, but no one cared. No one cared when Albert and Finch vanished from time to time, or when Race spent nights in Brooklyn, when Kid Blink and Mush sometimes just stared at each other. No newsie cared.  
—————————————————————  
Other people did though. They had gotten caught, after two years of sneaking around. And they just so happened to get caught by none other than Finch’s dad. He said awful things, and the boys ran.  
—————————————————————  
Finch stayed at the lodge from then on. But he was almost always silent and the newsies worried.  
—————————————————————  
He hadn’t come to Jacobi’s with them, claiming he wasn’t hungry and for them to go on. Albert should have stayed with him. For years after, he wished he had stayed with Finch. But he didn’t stay with Finch.  
—————————————————————  
Jojo was the one who found him. They had all been racing to tell Finch about Les getting a date, when Jojo froze in the doorway. The horde of newsies skittered to a halt, clamoring to know what was wrong. Jojo turned to them, looking ill. Then he stepped aside, and every newsie was stopped by the scene. Blood stained the floor, still oozing out of the gashes on Finch’s wrists. A note lay on Finch’s bed, addressed to Albert.  
—————————————————————  
Dear Albert,  
I’m sorry. I never wanted it to be like this. But I can’t keep lying to myself. I’m toxic. Everybody I’ve loved has been hurt because of me. You say that it’s not true. You say that it wasn’t my fault. But how could you know? The Delanceys beat you up and left you to die in the cold. I couldn’t protect Mámi and Annie from Papi. So I’m going to leave. I’ll always be by your side, though. We’ll be together someday, in that life that comes after death. I love you, Albert.  
Always,  
Patrick “Finch” Cortes  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
Sasha was quiet for a moment, taking in the information. Then she asked, “Do you still have the letter?”  
Albert nodded. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. “I’ve kept it by my side for 17 years. I’ll take it to my grave.”  
“I won’t have to wait, though,” she said. “Not like you. I’ll be with Ma and Papa soon.” She looked at the cot next to hers, where her twin sister’s corpse was. “Natalia knows I’ll be there soon.”  
Albert nodded. “They both know.”  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
Sasha died 9 hours later. Her body was being taken away, along with her sister’s. Albert was almost gone. He could feel himself slipping away. The room was being swallowed up by blackness, as his heartbeat slowed. He turned his head to look out the window, determined that his last sight would not be the death-filled room.  
Right before the end, he found a star.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don’t know why I wrote that. But now I kinda want to write more. Welp, guess I’m gonna go think of new, depressing ideas. Thanks for reading!  
> Tumblr: @waiting-makes-me-antsy  
> Come yell at me for making Albert be in pain! Or you can praise my awesome username.


End file.
